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Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 · D97

Part of Grünfeld Defense

Starting positionWhite to move

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Recovering the pawn exposes the queen to tempos

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The idea

White develops the queen to b3 and recaptures on c4, asking Black a direct question about how the position will be structured.

Main line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 a6 8.Bf4 b5

What White wants

  • Recapture on c4 with the queen and build the centre with e4
  • Develop with Be2 or Bf4 and castle
  • Play for the space advantage with clear piece placement

What Black wants

  • Fianchetto and play ...a6, ...b5 and ...c5 or ...Bb7
  • Attack the white centre before it consolidates
  • Trade pieces and exploit the slightly exposed white queen

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

Recovering the pawn exposes the queen to tempos

Qb3 pressures d5 and b7. After ...dxc4, Qxc4 recovers the pawn and White builds e4 with knight support; the queen does not defend e4 through White's d4 pawn. Black's ...a6 and ...b5 gain space while attacking the queen on c4.

Common mistake

Making extra queen captures before completing development. The queen on c4 is vulnerable to ...b5 with tempo; recover the pawn, secure the king and support the centre rather than assuming every available queenside pawn is safe to take.

Representative position

The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.

rnbq1rk1/2p1ppbp/p4np1/1p6/2QPPB2/2N2N2/PP3PPP/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 9

Analyze this position

Related openings

Grünfeld Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 · D70–D99Black strikes at the centre immediately with ...d5 and lets White build an enormous pawn mass, planning to destroy it from the flanks.Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 · D85–D89The main line: White develops the bishop to c4 and defends the centre with Ne2, and Black pressures d4 with ...c5 and ...Nc6.Neo-Grünfeld Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 d5 · D70–D79White meets the Grünfeld's ...d5 with Nf3 and a kingside fianchetto, delaying Nc3. The game often centres on recovering c4 while the fianchettoed bishops influence the centre from opposite flanks.King's Indian Defense1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 · E60–E99Black lets White build a huge centre and then attacks it with a kingside pawn storm — the most combative defence to 1.d4 in existence.